Cushion assembly of resilient wheels



Jan. 31, 1933. A. LUSSIER CUSHION ASSEMBLY OF RESILIENT WHEELS Filed NOV. 14, 193]- Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT CUSHION ASSEMBLY OF BESILIENT WHEELS Application filed November 14, 1931. Serial No. 575,070.

This invention relates to resilient wheels, and especially to an improved cushion assembly of a resilient wheel.

One object of this invention is to provide a cushion assembly which is especially applicable to wheels for heavy motor trucks, busses, etc., and which is capable of being assembled and disassembled in a comparatively short while and with comparative case.

A further object is to provide an improved felloe which includes an outer cushioning felloe-member or series of cushioning felloemembers permanently united with a steel felloe-member by means of annular ribs on the latter intermeshing with ribs on the outer cushioning felloe-members and cemented or vulcanized in the intermeshed relation.

Another object is to provide a set of improved securing and cushioning members for holding the other parts of the assembly in working relation while avoiding the contact of the steel part of the felloe with the steel part of these combined securing and cushioning members.

Another object is to provide an improved felloe which includes a rigid felloe-member of metal or the like having resilient peripheral parts vulcanized or otherwise united therewith securely and permanently.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation 35 and partly in section along the line 1--1 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, the section being taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure at is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the securing and cushioning members having its ends broken ofi; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view along the line 55 of Figure Figure 6 is a fragmental detail sectional view showing a preferred form of securing and cushioning assembly.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond to similar parts in the several views, the invention is now described in detail as follows:

The hub of the wheel is indicated at 10 and includes an annular flange 11 which is provided with studs 12 which are screw-threaded for receiving specially formednuts 18 which have gripping projections which engage with an annular wheel section 14 which includes a felloe-carrying annulus 15. A felloe-member 16 is fitted on and around the annulus 15, and is removably secured thereto by any appropriate means (not shown). The felloemember 16 is preferably formed of machine steel, and has an annular series of recesses 17 which extend laterally across the periphery and are substantially equally spaced from one another, these recesses being of substantially the same size and shape, preferably semicylindrical. The periphery is also provided with serrations, as indicated at 18, and these serrations may extend either laterally or circumferentially, the serrated parts being alternate with the lateral recesses 17. A series of cushioning elements or felloe-sections 19 are each disposed with their serrations in meshed or interlapped engagement with the meshes of the felloe-mernber 16, and are cemented, glued, or vulcanized so as to secure them in permanent fixed relation for providing the combined rigid and resilient felloe 16-19. The vulcanizing may be accomplished by heating the felloe-member 16 to the proper degree after the uncured rubber of the parts 19 are applied, so that when these parts 19 are sufficiently vulcanized, the parts which are engaged with the felloe-member 16 are of relatively hard rubber, while the more remote parts are relatively soft and resilient.

Some of the recesses 17 may have cylindrical cushion members 20 fitted therein, while others may have semi-cylindrical or arcuate cushions 21 fitted therein. These cushions 21 are fitted and secured, preferably vulcanized or cemented, in recesses 22 in a series of metal-securing and driving studs or members 23 which have screw-threaded ends 24 for receiving nuts 25 which cooperate with them for holding in spaced relation a pair of retaining and guiding rings 26 and 2641 which are provided with hollow bosses 27 and with apertures 28, the latter receiving the screwthreaded shanks of the metal securing members 23. The ring 26a is fitted within an outwardly converging part of a tire-holding rim 29, and a series of lugs 30 combine with the securing members 23 and nuts 25 for engagement with the rim 29 so as to removably secure it in engagement with the contiguous ring 26a.

An annular cushioning member 31 has its periphery fitted against the interior surface of the rim 29, and its lateral sides between the securing rings 26 and 26a so as to be confined thereby in working relation to the felloe 1619. The inner side of the cushioning member 31 has annular semi-cylindrical recesses 32 which embrace the outer sides of the cylindrical cushion members 20 and the semicylindrical cushion members 21. It will be seen that the purpose of these cushion members 21 is to supplement the cushion members 20 and 31 for cushioning the felloe-member 16 with respect to the rim 29, for helping to drive the rim 29, and at the same time, it prevents the felloe-member 16 from moving into contact with the metal parts of the securing members 23.

As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the interior surfaces of the recesses of the members 23 may be serrated as indicated at 23a, and the cushion members 21 may be correspondingly serrated or corrugated to intermesh or interlap with these serrations or corrugations 23a, whereby and by vulcanizing these parts 21 and 23, they combine to produce tmitary securing and cushioning devices which will not become accidentally disassembled, but will remain intact while resisting heavy weights and intense driving pressures.

In View of the foregoing description, it will be seen that the felloe is floating between and guided by the rings 26 and 26a and com bine with the cushion members 20 and 31 to resiliently hold the hub 10 approximately concentric with the rim 31 when the wheel is not loaded, but which permits the hub 10 and rim 29 to move out of concentric relation when the wheel is loaded or subjected to shocks.

Tire-retaining rings 33 may be removably secured on the rim 29 by means such as indicated at 34 or by any appropriate means.

Regarding the number of parts 20 and 21-23, it will be seen that the present embodiment employs 8 of the former, and 11 of the latter, so that 19 of the 20 recesses 17 are occupied by these securing and cushioning parts. Inasmuch as there are 20 equally spaced recesses 17, it will be seen that one of these recesses is unoccupied. However, at a point opposite this unoccupied recess 17, a valve opening 35 is provided in one of the segments of the ring 26a. In this connection, it

is explained that the ring 26a is composed of a number of separate segments which adjoin another at 267), these segments having semicircular recesses in their ends which receive the outer shanks 24 of the securing members 23. The nuts 25 and cooperating washers bridge these joints 266 so that the segments of the ring 26a are normally thus united so as to form a continuous guiding ring in cooperation with the guiding ring 26, being held in spaced relation to the latter by means of shoulders 23b of the securing members 23.

For assuring safety against turning of the felloe-member 16 with relation to the members 26, 26a, 31 and 29, in the event that the cushions 21 should work loose from themembers 23 or become Very badly worn after long and hard usage, I prefer to employ the structure or assembly shown in Figure 6 where the felloe-member 116 is counterbored or recessed at 117, at the ends of the recesses 17. In this form of structure, the shoulders or cylindrical end-portions 23b of the securing members 123 are movable into and out of the recesses 117, so that the walls of these recesses would engage with the parts 23?) and thereby prevent relative turning of the inner and outer parts of the wheel. The cushion-member 121 is shorter than the corresponding member 21 of Figure 4:, to permit the cylindrical end portions 23?) to extend into the recesses 117.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention specifically, it is not my intention to limit my patent protection to these exact details of construction and arrangement, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas, as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a cushion assembly of a resilient wheel, the combination of two apertured annular retaining and guiding rings, recessed securing and spacing members extending through apertures of said rings and uniting them in parallel spaced relation, a recessed floating felloe slidingly fitted between said rings, and resilient cushions fitted in recesses of said felloe and of said securing and spac- I ing members.

2. In acushion assembly of a resilientwheel, the combination of a floating felloemember including an annular rigid inner part having recesses across its periphery, resilient cushioning means in and between said recesses and united with said felloe, a tirecarrying rim, a cushioning annulus seated between and against the tire-carrying rim and said resilient cushioning means, and

means to secure said floating felloe in work- 1 111g relation to said cushioning annulus and tire-carrying rim.

3. A cushion wheel felloe including a rigid felloemember havinga serrated periphery, and a cushion felloe-member for holding a tire-rim thereon, said cushion felloe-member having serrations interlapped with those of the rigid felloe-member and securely united therewith.

O 4. A combined securing and cushioning unit comprising a rigid member having threaded ends, an enlarged intermediate part terminating in spacing shoulders and a recess between the shoulders, and a cushion 1O fitted and secured in said recess and united with the walls thereof, substantially as shown.

5. The structure defined by claim 4 in combination with a felloe-member having a part which has a recess for receiving said cushion and which has additional recesses offset from the opposite ends of the first said recess and are adapted to receive said shoulders which are normally in spaced relation to the walls of said additional recesses, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I a-lfix my signature.

ALPHO'NSE LORRAINE LUSSIER. 

